The BJP has announced candidates for 136 assembly seats, and the party central leadership has called a meeting of the Central Election Committee (CEC) on Sunday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP national president JP Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah will also attend the meeting where the remaining 94 candidates are likely to be finalised.
<p>BJP’s ‘explosive’ fifth list may drop 25-30 sitting MLAs (1)<input><input><input></p>
“Har list dhamakedar hee hogi.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is going into the upcoming assembly election in Madhya Pradesh without a chief ministerial face for the first time in decades. In past elections, the party had projected incumbent CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan as their face, but the 2018 loss may have caused them to
Aage dhamake hee dhamake hone wale hain, Diwali ka tyohar aanewala hai (every list is explosive, expect fireworks, Diwali is ahead),” Mishra told reporters at the state BJP media office in Bhopal on Wednesday.
Sources in the state BJP said that many “non-performing” MLAs may be dropped in the final list. The BJP has 67 of the remaining 94 constituencies. The CEC could drop 25 to 30 of the BJP MLAs because surveys have found that people in their constituencies are not happy with their work, say sources.
“The party feels that nearly half of these incumbent legislators will not be able to win their seats. New faces may be given tickets,” a senior BJP leader explained.
In the fourth list, announced on Monday, most ministers of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government were fielded from their respective constituencies.
Budhni: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan appears to be fighting a lone battle these days. And most of the 2.7 lakh voters of his constituency, Budhni, aren’t happy about it. They feel their Mama is being sidelined by the party leadership, and are seething.
Chouhan has bared his heart before them in recent days, saying they will “miss him”, and asking them if he should become chief minister again. As Chouhan faces the toughest challenge of his political career, his supporters in Budhni are bristling at what they see as his neglect by the party.
Budhni, around 70km from Bhopal on the banks of Narmada, has elected Chouhan five times to the assembly. Since 2006, people of Budhni are known as Shivraj’s own. It’s been the CM’s constituency for 17 years and comes with its perks and pride.
But with the BJP not declaring Chouhan the party’s CM face this time, the voters of Budhni are angry and even threatening an agitation. When TOI visited Budhni on Wednesday, people’s angst was palpable, while they clung to hope that he would make a comeback. “I want to see Mama as CM. Otherwise we will sit on dharna,” said an agitated Ajay Manjhi from Jhanda Chowk area.
Chouhan’s name wasn’t on the first three lists, leading to murmurs in his camp. On September 22, it was Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who led BJP’s Jan Ashirwad Yatra into Budhni, Chouhan’s son Kartikeya at his side. Chouhan wasn’t there.
After the second list was released on September 26 and seven heavyweights, including three Union ministers, were fielded, it was clear that the BJP central leadership was propping up multiple potential CM faces to counter anti-incumbency.
Four days after that, on October 1, Chouhan was in Budhni’s Ladkui when he said: “Aisa bhaiyya nahin milega. Jab mein chala jaunga, tab bahut yaad aaunga (You will not get a brother like me. When I go away, you will remember me a lot).”
Two days later, he asked voters: “Should I contest the election or not? Should Mama become chief minister or not?” The crowd shouted, “Yes,” and started chanting, “Mama, Mama”.
And on October 6, in Ujjain, he asked for the blessings of sadhus, saying, “Guide me. Political roads are filled with turmoil. There is a threat that one can slip at every step. Sometimes, there arise many who put you in a ‘chakkar’.”
Chouhan’s statements in the past few days have given enough hints that he’s not happy with the way he is being treated despite being the longest serving CM of BJP from 2005 to 2023, barring 15 months Congress rule. And he is not one to take it quietly.
Chouhan has deftly turned the spotlight on himself, projecting his achievements as chief minister, and asking, doesn’t he deserve to be the CM again? It’s a question BJP will find hard to ignore.
“Ma Narmada’s blessings will decide who will be the CM. Wait for the right time,” says priest Gopiram at Narmada Ghat in Budhni.
The people of his constituency have seen Chouhan rise in political stature where they see him today as the “champion of MP politics”. And they bask in reflected glory.
“Aadhaar card with a Budhni address is all you need to gain entry to CM House. Mama recognizes me every time he sees me in Bhopal or Budhni. If Mama is not there at CM House, Mami (CM’s wife Sadhna Singh) meets us and ensures we get respect,” said villager Tika Ram. “Mama never discriminated. Everyone’s work is done,” said young Waseem Mansoori.
“Whether he is CM or not, our leader is Mama,” said Manoj Thakur as he managed a tea stall in a local market. “He will be CM. You will see.”